


Claustrophobic

by emmerroser



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Claustrophobia, Draco Malfoy Is Gay, Draco Malfoy is Not Amused, Harry Potter is Bi, Hermione Granger is a Good Friend, M/M, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Seven Minutes In Heaven Game, and they are disaster gays, singular use of the f-slur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:14:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25242979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmerroser/pseuds/emmerroser
Summary: Draco witnesses an anxiety attack and is suddenly a huge softy.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley
Comments: 4
Kudos: 205





	Claustrophobic

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so i wrote this before i read the books and i got all the information instagram posts. But i've read them and edited! 
> 
> I do not have anxiety attacks and i apologize for any inaccuracies.
> 
> Edit: oct 13. FUCK Rowling. I do not identify with her opinions on the trans communities. Trans identities are valid. Gender is more than what’s in your pants. If you agree with her I’m gonna ask you to get the fuck away from me.

"Oh, shoot," Ron sighed tiredly, sitting up. "I did leave my book in the library."

"Oh, I'll get it for you," Hermione offered.

"Would you?" Ron asked, knowing the answer.

"Yeah, it's fine."

"Hermione, you should stay here to study, or else you'll keep up all night. I'll get it, Ron." Harry said, standing.

"Thanks, Harry." 

Harry spaced out as he walked down the empty halls. He was in a really good mood that day, even though Ron and Hermione were in a very foul one. He walked into the library, and only then did he realize there were lots of people already hanging out in there. Lots of people belonging to the Slytherin house, more specifically. Including Draco Malfoy. So much for a good mood. It was amazing now.

He had been attracted to Malfoy for a while now, no matter how much he ignored it and denied it. But, as far as Malfoy knew, they were enemies. They were enemies. Harry liked his body, not him. He was an arse. 

Harry nodded awkwardly to them and moved over to the side table where Ron's book was. 

"Why, we could have the scar-head do it!" Someone called. Several laughs and gasps followed.

"What?! No, that's disgusting!" Malfoy yelled, pushing over the girl who said it, who only laughed.

"W-what?" Harry turned, very confused. He glanced around at all of them, some of them very untidy, hair sloppily pulled up and shirts unbuttoned some. Some were laying on top of each other. Oh, Merlin. Were they playing Seven Minutes in Heaven?

"Potter, do you want to play?" Said Crabbe sarcastically. 

"Play what, exactly?" Harry said nervously.

"Seven minutes in Heaven, of course!" 

"Uh, I don't think I should, I was grabbing something for R-"

"Oh, it can wait!" Someone called, grabbing Harry's wrist and tugging him to a door he hadn't noticed before.

"No, I really should bring his book back to him, he needs to study," Harry said, trying to gently pull off their wrist.

"I'm not playing with him!" Cried Malfoy, his face reddening.

"Yeah, I don't think—wait with Malfoy?!"

"Oooooh, what, Potter, do you have a man-crush on Draco?" Zabini asked mockingly.

"Oooh, we have a faggot!" Another yelled.

Harry's face was bright red, as was Malfoy's, as they both got shoved towards the closet.

"N-no, I'm claustrophobic, please," Harry begged, prying at their fingers and twisting his arm.

"That's what I said, but I had lots of fun!" Said Pansy as she pulled on Malfoy, winking at a boy sitting in the back.

"Ew, that's disgusting!" Malfoy laughed, seemingly giving up on trying to getaway.

"N-no really I am, please," Harry said, starting to scratch at the hand holding him.

"Aye, stop scratching me, Potter!" They said, pushing him all the way in. Harry tripped over his robes and fell onto his rear. They pushed in Malfoy after him, and Malfoy nearly slipped back out, but he got pushed back in by laughing peers. The door slammed shut and made a click, and it was dark. They didn't have wands.

Oh, no.

Harry was trapped in a closet with Malfoy.

Harry was Trapped in a Closet with Malfoy.

Harry was silent for a while, as was Malfoy. 

Harry squeezed his eyes shut and tried to act like he wasn't screaming inside.

I'll just pretend I'm not in a closet. With Malfoy.

Harry could hear the laughter of the people outside quiet down, and he just knew that they were all saying that they should leave them in there, that they should pretend that the door is locked and they can't find the key, that they didn't have their wands. 

Time ticked by with silence inside the closet and outside. 

"It's had to have been seven minutes by now," Malfoy said, sighing angrily.

Harry didn't respond. He tapped his foot, he shook his hands, anything to try to get the nervous energy out. It wasn't working. His breathing bounced around in the stuffy closet, and he pushed his head against the wall he was leaning against so hard he was sure there would be a dent.

Don't have an anxiety attack please please please don't have an anxiety attack.

"Why are you breathing so heavily, Potter? Scared of the dark?" Malfoy said though Harry could barely hear the words. They were muffled like he was underwater. He felt like was underwater. Everything was pressing in on him. He couldn't breathe. It felt like he was using up all the air in the room. He shook uncontrollably, and he felt like he was overheating.

"I—I can't breathe, I can't breathe," Harry said, putting his hand on his chest. "I gotta get out—I can't breathe—I'm gonna be sick,"

"What?!" Malfoy asked, confused. "Why not? Breathing pretty heavily as far as I can tell."

Harry couldn't even hear him. He had to get out.

Harry flew to the door, banging on it.

"Let me out! Please, let me out!" Harry cried, barely staying upright.

"Potter, what is wrong with you?" Malfoy demanded though it went unheard. 

"Let me out, let me out, let me out!" Harry sobbed, sliding down the door, still pounding on it.

"Potter, what are you do-" Malfoy reached to grab his wrist, and Harry slapped his hand away, and pushed himself against the wall, quieting his sobs by covering his mouth.

"Potter? Are you OK? What happened?"

"Please," Harry whispered. Malfoy didn't know what to do. He slowly reached out and put his hand on Harry's knee. Harry stiffened even more than before. Malfoy reached his hand back, but Harry didn't relax. 

"I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time," Harry sobbed. "Just please, let me out, it won't happen again, I won't bother you. I'll be quiet, I promise, I'll control it, I'll get rid of it, please."

"I cant, Pott-"

"Please, let me OUT!" Harry sobbed into his knees, shaking. His cries echoed in the small room, and Malfoy was even more lost.

"Harry, please." Malfoy tried again, putting his hand on his knee again. Harry barely noticed this time. He just cried. 

Draco sighed and sat down next to Harry, who didn't notice. Slowly, he put his arm around Harry's shaking form. Harry tensed like a rock. He slowly lifted his head and looked at Draco. Tears soaked his face, he looked terrified.

"Harry, you're OK. Nothing is going to happen to you." Draco whispered. Harry sniffled loudly. "You're safe. We just need to wait for them to come back. We'll get out soon. I'll make sure they're sorry." Malfoy squeezed Harry's shoulder gently.

Harry took a deep shaky breath and nodded. "I'm OK. I'm fine." Harry grabbed Draco's hand and squeezed it tightly, their rivalry was forgotten. Draco squeezed back.

"You're OK," Draco whispered again.

They waited a couple more minutes for someone to come to the rescue.

"Harry? Harry, are you in here?" A muffled voice asked.

Harry's head shot up, and he pressed his ear to the door. 

"Where is he?" The voice asked.

"Well, here's my book." Another voice said.

"Is that Weasley?" Draco asked.

Harry scrambled to his feet and pounded on the door.

"Ron! Hermione! We're in here!"

"What?" Hermione asked.

"In the closet!" Harry called again, banging on the door.

"Oh, Harry. Alohomora!" The door swung open, and Harry practically fell out. Draco followed.

"Harry are—were you crying?! Are you OK, what happened, Harry?" Hermione asked him, grabbing his shoulders.

"Yes, I was, I'm fine now, I was pushed into the closet and had an anxiety attack. I'm fine now." Harry said nervously, waving his hand dismissively.

"Oh, so you pushed him in a closet, eh?" Ron demanded, pushing Draco backward some, and took out his wand.

"Oh, calm down, Weasley, I was pushed in too," Draco said, smoothing out his clothes.

"Why?" Hermione asked, glancing over to them.

"We were playing seven minutes in heaven," Draco mumbled.

"What?!" Ron And Hermione yelled. 

"Oh, nothing happened! We just waited to be let out! I wasn't playing, just kinda shoved into a closet." Harry scrambled to explain, face red.

"And where did everyone go?" Ron asked. 

"They all left us. They probably would let us out in the morning." Draco said, crossing his arms.

"Well, I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted, so I'm going to grab a glass of water and go to my room," Harry said, mostly to himself.

"I'll go with you," Ron offered quickly.

"That's fine," Harry said, nodding tiredly. Ron and Harry left. 

"Did you know he was claustrophobic?" Draco asked.

"N-no, I didn't. I knew he had anxiety, but I didn't..." 

Draco nodded.

"Well, good night, Granger," Draco said politely, leaving the room.

"What just happened?" Hermione asked herself.

The next day, in the Great hall, Harry watches Malfoy sit down with the group of kids that left them last night. 

Oh, no. He's going to humiliate me, isn't he?

Malfoy seemed to be angry, he raised his voice a couple of times.

"He said he was claustrophobic, why didn't you listen?!" He cried at them. 

"I'm claustrophobic, and I had fun!" The Pansy retorted.

"You walked in, he was dragged! And you, you homophobic shit! Shut your trap, because there's nothing wrong with it. I'm gay, and if I hear you say anything about what happened or what didn't happen last night, I will hunt you down." Harry had never seen the color drain from a face so quickly in his life. Then Malfoy turned and looked straight at Harry, and nodded before sitting in his usual spot. 

"Harry, can I ask you a question?" Hermione said, having witnessed the whole thing.

"Sure."

"Do you like guys?" She asked as Ron choked on a piece of turkey.

"...Yeah." Harry said after a moments silence.

"More specifically, do you like Draco?" She pressed.

"...Yeah."

Hermione nodded and continued to eat her breakfast. Ron looked between the two of them, then over at Draco.

"Why?! He's a total prick!" Ron asked, bewildered.

"He helped me through my panic attack, so he can't be that bad," Harry mumbled, poling at his food.

"Well—that doesn't excuse—he still—the only reason you had a panic attack is that you were trapped in a closet with him!" Ron spluttered.

"Ron, keep your voice down!" Hermione hissed, glancing at all the turning heads.

"The reason I had a panic attack was that I was shoved in a closet, if he hadn't been in there to calm me down, I would have had a full out mental break down and would've like, mentally collapsed," Harry said, taking a bite of his egg.

"Are you really that claustrophobic?" Hermoine asked.

"What does that even mean? You guys have yet to explain that to me, you, and your weird muggle words."

"It means you're scared of small and enclosed spaces. And yes, I apparently am that claustrophobic."

"You didn't know?"

"Well I was aware of it, but I never had a panic attack over it. They would usually let me out before it got to that point."

"Oh, OK," Hermoine said, nodding before glancing back up in concern.

"Wait wait wait. Who let you out? What?" Ron said, dropping his fork.

Harry's eyes widened, and he stared at his plate in silence.

"Did I say that? I don't think I did--"

"Harry, you said 'they' would let you out, that suggests that 'they' put you in, what in Merlin's name do you mean? Let you out of what?" Hermoine demanded.

"..my aunt and uncle used to make me sleep in the closet under the stairs," Harry mumbled.

"WHAT?!" Hermoine and Ron screamed in unison, their eyes widening even further. Several heads turned to look at what was happening.

"Can you not let the whole of Hogwarts know, my word!"

"What's their address?" Ron demanded, balling his hands into fists.

"Number four Privet Drive," Harry said, knowing Ron was joking.

Ron got up and stormed over to the Slytherin table. Harry looked at Hermoine in confusion and concern. Ron pointed at Draco aggressively, then at the doors. Draco looked around in confusion, and Ron repeated his actions. Draco slowly got up and followed, glancing back at his friends for reassurance.

They disappeared for a while, and when they came back in, they were both red in the face with what was presumably rage.

"Please tell me you aren't going to go hex my aunt and uncle and get in trouble," Harry begged.

"Oh, please I'm not a complete idiot. We're going to beat them with my fists."

"'We'?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Draco and I."

Harry sighed.

"I'm serious, you know."

"Yes, I know, Ron,"

**Author's Note:**

> Draco and ron are besties after this lol


End file.
